Aether

Aether is an open-source platform for 5G and edge cloud infrastructure that provides a cloud-managed, on-premises (on-prem) LTE/5G connectivity service for enterprise and industrial environments (private mobile networking, edge computing).

• Cloud-managed private LTE/5G connectivity service for enterprises (private mobile networking).
• Support for on-prem radio access and user plane with centralized cloud control (edge computing, network control plane).
• Integration of 5G, edge cloud, and Software Defined Networking (SDN) concepts for programmable connectivity and compute (software-defined networking, edge platforms).
• Multi-site management model enabling centralized operations for geographically distributed enterprise locations (network management, orchestration).
• Built under the LF Networking umbrella at The Linux Foundation with open-source community governance (open-source networking ecosystem).

More About Aether

Aether is an open-source platform that targets the deployment and operation of private Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G services combined with edge cloud infrastructure for enterprises, industrial sites, and campus environments (private mobile networking, edge computing). It is designed as a cloud-managed service that delivers connectivity and compute resources on customer premises while maintaining centralized control and lifecycle management from the cloud.

The project focuses on providing enterprises with mobile connectivity that uses LTE/5G radio access integrated with an edge cloud stack and a programmable core network (mobile core networking, edge platforms). In typical deployments, the user plane and radio components run close to the users and devices on-prem, while control, configuration, and monitoring functions are delivered from a central cloud management plane. This separation enables a model where a provider or internal IT organization can operate multiple sites as a managed service.

Aether incorporates concepts from SDN (software-defined networking) by using programmable data plane and control plane abstractions to manage traffic flows and connectivity policies across the network. It supports integration of multiple sites into a unified framework so that administrators can provision services, enforce policies, and monitor performance centrally across distributed edge locations (network management, orchestration). The platform aligns with 4G/5G mobile networking standards for radio and core functions where applicable, enabling connectivity for a range of User Equipment (UE) and devices (mobile networking standards).

Within enterprise and institutional environments, Aether is positioned as an infrastructure layer that can host latency-sensitive and bandwidth-sensitive applications at the edge, while providing mobility and Quality of Service (QoS) controls through the underlying LTE/5G network (edge computing, QoS management). Typical use cases include industrial Internet of Things (IoT), campus connectivity, and scenarios that require dedicated wireless resources and traffic isolation from public networks.

Aether operates as a project under LF Networking at The Linux Foundation, which places it within a broader ecosystem of open-source networking and telco software (open-source networking ecosystem). This context supports interoperability efforts with other SDN, orchestration, and automation projects where interfaces and architectures align. For enterprise adopters, Aether offers an open-source option for building managed private mobile networks and edge clouds that can integrate with existing IT and cloud infrastructures, and it can be categorized in directories under private 5G/LTE platforms, edge cloud platforms, and SDN-based network management frameworks.